The long-range goal of the Neuroscience Microscopy and Immunohistochemistry Core is to provide a stateof- the-art facility that will enable neuroscience investigators to correlate nervous system structure and function. Neuroscientists at Meharry Medical College are exploring various aspects of how the nervous system responds to environmental and internal stressors that may induce inflammatory processes and neuro-degeneration. Of particular interest is the question of how genes and the environment interact to cause neurodegenerative disease. The specific aims of the Neuroscience Microscopy and immunohistochemistry Core will be to: 1. Provide neuro-morphological services that will accommodate the needs of greater than 80% of the neuroscience laboratories at Meharry, thereby decreasing the turn-around time associated with using a remote facility; 2. Decrease by 20% the costs associated with doing morphological studies in the nervous system: and 3. Insure that Meharry Medical College investigators have e-journal access to the top 10 journals that publish neuroscience research results. Dr. Clivel G. Charlton, Chair of the Division of Neurobiology and Neurotoxicology will direct the Neuroscience Microscopy and Immunohistochemistry facility. A trained Ph.D. level Core Director will be recruited for the day-to-day management of the facility. The Core Director will also implement an ongoing training program for investigators, research staff and trainees. As a result of the recent re-organization of the basic science departments, a number of microscopic and cell/tissue processing resource are available to initiate this core facility. This includes a new confocal microscope, a cyrostat, microtome, and routine histochemistry supplies. There is the need to acquire a new fluorescence microscope, image analysis software and enhance the neuroscience e-journal collection.